Date Filled Cookies

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 40
• 1 cup sour cream (250ml)
• 350 g self raising flour
• 200 g margarine or 200 g butter
• 1 (500 g) container date spread
• 500 g pitted dates
• 2 -6 teaspoons cinnamon-sugar mixture
• 6 -9 tablespoons plain vanilla halva (not halva spread)

Recipe

• 1 mix the pastry ingredients well to form a nice soft smooth dough.
• 2 form ball and wrap in the paper left from margarine and refrigerate for an hour(or stick in freezer for 10 minutes,or -- don't chill at all if in a rush!).
• 3 divide into three parts (each will create a "roll up").
• 4 on a clean,floured surface roll to a large rectangle (about 30-40cm x 20-30cm), around 2-3mm thick, with the long end parallel to you.
• 5 *tip: roll the end closest to you slightly thinner and roll up from this side-this ensures pastry gets baked all the way through.
• 6 with a long spatula spread a third of the date spread evenly over the pastry, leaving a 5-10mm margin all around.
• 7 optional additions before rolling:.
• 8 *cut up the date "block" into small pieces (i usually just tear little bits off by hand) and distribute a third over the date spread.
• 9 *sprinkle with around a teaspoon of cinnamon-and some sugar if desired.
• 10 *this is a delicious touch: crumble 2-3 tablespoons of plain vanilla halva over the date spread.
• 11 repeat with the other 2 parts of pastry.
• 12 *now roll up tightly,place on baking paper lined cookie sheet (curve the roll if it came out too long) and bake for about 10-20 minutes -depends on your oven-until golden.
• 13 remove tray from oven and leave to cool slightly.
• 14 with a sharp serated edge knife cut diagonaly into 2-3 cm slices and leve to cool completely.
• 15 you can sprinkle with powdered suger if desired.
• 16 store in airtight cookie containers.